tourists in san francisco's union square showed us bites on their bodies. what do you think should be done so it doesn't happen to anybody else? >> i don't know. it's very hard to kill them. >> reporter: it's a secret that every hotel operator knows. any traveler can meet up with bedbugs, whether in a room, on a plane or even in a movie theater. >> a lot of times they are traumatized and i have people crying and you have to reassure them and make sure that they understand that it's not your fault. >> reporter: the san francisco public health department says tourist hotels tend to handle infestations on their own. the bedbug registry which posts complaints on hotels ranging from budget to luxury is encouraging operators to speak out online about their efforts to stop the problem. >> because people react differentlo this pest. we cannot look at a bite and say whether or not it's a bedbug. >> reporter: nevertheless, public health agencies say the problem seems to be getting worse. >> pest operators as a business have been treating bedbugs at a much greater num